Camping for Beginners and Novices: 4 Tips on How to Prepare and Plan Your Trip for Your Next Camping Vacation
1. Call and make a reservation at the campground before going there
People who are new to camping often assume that once they drive to the campground where they want to stay they will have no problem finding an available campsite. This is not always the case; campgrounds can fill up, or can be closed for one reason or another. If possible, always call the campground ahead of time and see if you can reserve your campsite ahead of time, rather than driving there under the assumption that a site will be available for you when you arrive. This is especially important if you are planning a camping trip during the weekend, or the summer; after driving for countless hours in your car, the last thing you need is to arrive at your destination, only to find out the campground is full or closed! With the more popular camping areas making reservations is usually pretty easy to do (such as with places like the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, or Yellowstone). With some of the smaller campgrounds however, this isn’t always possible. If you really heart set on staying at a particular campground which is impossible to reach by phone, have a backup plan ready. Bring the names and phone numbers of several other campgrounds within a reasonable driving distance from the one where you had originally planned to stay in case your original campground is full or closed (if you are a AAA member, obtain their book which lists campgrounds in the area where you want to stay).
2. Make a checklist, or find one online
Always prepare a checklist of everything you need for your trip. Don’t rely on your memory – you are much more likely to forget something that you will later wish you would have brought. I have made my own custom checklist for camping, which saves me a lot of time when I’m packing. Typical items on a checklist include clothes, food, water bottles, camping gear, first aid kit, bug spray, maps, prescriptions, shampoo, etc. Once you have created your checklist for the first time, save it and use it for future trips. If you want to use a checklist someone else has put together and modify it for your needs, you can find many of them online. Here are a few I found by doing a simle search for “camping checklist”:
http://www.lovetheoutdoors.com/camping/Checklists.htm
http://www.camping-usa.com/checklist.html
http://www.hightsite.com/camping/checklist.htm
In my case, my checklist isn’t limited to just items I plan to bring on my trip. I also include tasks which must be done before leaving, i.e. someone to care for my pets, checking my oil and radiator fluid in preparation for the long trip, etc. Once everything is checked off, then I know I am ready to go!
3. Find out about the traffic and road conditions along the route you need to take by calling the highway patrol.
Years ago I planned a trip to Death Valley National Monument in Southern California. So when I needed advice for planning the route I would take, I went to my local AAA office and spoke to a well intentioned but badly uninformed young lady behind the counter, who got out a map and said, “Just take this road here. This will get you to that other highway”. So I did as she advised, and when I got to that road it turned out to be closed due to seasonal winter conditions – as were several other roads in the same area which I also couldn’t take. I ended up having to take a really long detour, which added about 5 hours to my trip, which of course caused me to arrive at my destination much later than I had planned. As much as I like AAA, I don’t recommend relying on them for this kind of information. For the most current information about highways and road conditions call the highway patrol.
4. Check your vehicle or have it checked
Even if your vehicle is in good running condition, you still should check a few things before you leave. This is easy to do yourself, but if you are not up to it you can bring your vehicle somewhere to have it looked at and serviced if need be. The things you should check would include:
* condition of tires, including tread wear
* tire air pressue
* oil level
* radiator fluid level
I hope this has helped. Have fun!
